In the episode “The Spanish Teachers” of the third season of “Glee”, Ricky Martin stars as a Spanish teacher. In a scene when he’s talking to the character Will Schuester, he says:
“I actually learned English watching reruns of “Solid Gold.” They’ve done studies on it. The brain takes in information, like a new language or a math equation, much more quickly and retains it better, when that information is delivered through music. You know what I would do if I was teaching Glee Club? Latin music. Think about it. You get those kids singing in Spanish, and they’ll be learning the language without even realizing it.
Singing is a wonderful way to learn languages. Everybody likes music. When you sing, you have fun, because you usually sing the songs you like. And by singing the same songs over and over, the words stick to your mind. If you sing in English, you learn English without realizing that you’re learning. Your learn vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and rhythm. And you remember the words for a long time, and use them in conversation in a very natural way.
In the book “Aprenda Inglês Cantando e Aprenda a Cantar em Inglês,” which I wrote with Cris Gontow, we have a lot of ideas and suggestions on how to learn English through music. The book is great for students, because it will help them to learn more. It is also great for teachers, because it will give them plenty of ideas they can use in their classes to motivate their students to learn more.
Since music is a very personal taste, it’s important that students listen to and sing songs that they like. Rather than giving a list of songs that are good for learning English, the book teaches how to find songs that will help learn specific grammar points. This way students can practice specific structures singing songs they actually like.
The book also brings lots of suggestions on how to use songs to learn English better. There are lots of different activities for teachers and students to use and enjoy.
Encouraging your students to sing will motivate them to learn English even more!The book “Aprenda Inglês Cantando e Aprenda a Cantar em Inglês,” published by DISAL is already available in bookstores everywhere.
